Vending machine



J. RINALDI VENDING MACHINE Dec. 18, 1934.

Filed April 5', 1933 lil &

lNvx-:NToR L/EAA/ /Q//V/m on BY 9 ATTORNEYS c@ OOO Jil .Y

J. RINALDI VENDING MACHINE Dec. 18, 1934.

Filed April 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lrl;

it is illustrated as a machine for vending dislr-A UNITEDg STATES# PATENT-.OFFICE VENDING MACHINE I Jean Rinaldi, New York, N. IY.' yApplication April ,3, 1933,r SerialfNo. 664,262

In its present-embodiment theA device consists 2 Claims.

This invention relates to new'and useful improvements in vending machines.

While the invention is adaptable to the vending of various articles, in its present embodiment like elements preferably in the form of coins upon which is carried certain reading matter. The disk-.like elements may, however, be in the form of candy or of any other material.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vending machine in which the operator may atA random discharge one or more of the commodi` ties adapted to be dispensed by the machines.

It is a further object `of the invention so to construct the machinethat whenan article has been dispensed thereby there will be a visual indication that anotherY article cannot be dispensed by the same mechanism. This indication is maintained until the machine is again set Aor lled lthereby insuring that at each operation the purchaser will receive an article.

The device herein illustrated-is not of the coin controlled type,it.be`ing merely a mechanism for holding anddischarging the articlesto be vended.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the nature thereof is better understood and ref-4 erence will be had to the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vending apparatus constructedl in accordance with the present invention, A f

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure `l,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View takenvon the line 3-3 of Figure 1, the gure being ypartially broken away,

Figure 4 is a detail vertical -sectional view onY` an enlarged scale,

Figure 5 is Aa detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a detail vertical sectionalview -on an enlarged scale taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line `3--3 of Figure 4 on anenlarged scale,

Figure 8 isa detail perspective viewof a portion of the mechanism,

Figure 9 is a detail vertical sectionalI viewon an enlarged scale illustrating a modified form of the invention, and;

Figure 10 is a detail perspective lview illustrate ing' that form Yofv the invention shown in Figure 9.

, of a housing 10 which is preferably of rectangular' form. This housing is provided with an article receiving tray 11 nearits-bottom and the article dispensing mechanism' is so positioned that when the articles aredischarged therefrom they 4will `fall into the tray ,11, atwhich point they are readily Yaccessible through the front opening `12. Thehousing 10o/has a hinged top wallv 13 and this top Wall; is adapted to swing about its yhinge 14 to yprovide access to theV interior vof the housing A10.

The article l dispensing mechanism is bodily removablethrough :the top of the housing when the hinged toprwallv is moved'to open position, the vending mechanism being `slidably mounted infront-of aguide 12? which has a right angular extensionv 1351 'upon which the. vending mechanism;is:suppcrtedrwhen in position in the machine` .It Avwill be understood that this construction is employed at each'side ofl the housing and permits of bodilyremovalof the vending mechanism in order that the articles which have becndispensedby vthe machine may be replaced.

Thef-vendingmechanism is preferably carried by a panel board 15 and it consists of a plurality of depressiblebuttons 16 mounted in vrecesses 17 upon thefront `face of the board.

Extending rearwardly from each of said buttons, there is a resilient article embracing mem# bei adapted to receive and hold the article to be rality of compartments. ment for leach resilient member and these resil- There is one compartient members'are'so arranged that when the article is mountedtherein and the buttons set for operation, the resilient member and the article carried thereby rwill be positionedfentirely within its respective compartment.

In Figure 8, I have illustrated a perspective viewfofone formfof resilient -member which I prefer'.-

Tlie resilient members by reason of their offset portions occupy positionscpposite to each other although the operating buttons 16 which are carried thereby and mounted upon the bent portions 20 of they resilient.A membersl are arranged one above the other.

In Figure 4, I have' illustrated on an enlarged scale the manner inwhich this mechanism operates.

members the hooked portion 30 of one member engages the lower partition 18 of the compartment in which it is mounted while the hooked portion 30 of the other resilient member engages the upper partition 18 of the compartment in which the mechanism is mounted, the two resilient members in each compartment being divided by the vertical partition 19 which is mounted in said compartment." In Figure 4 the reference character 31 indicatesa disk-like article to be dispensed by the machine. This article rests upon the lower partition 18 and is held between said lower partition and the curve 29 of the resilient member designated A in said figure with the leg 27 of said resilient member engaging the edge of the disk-like member 31. In this manner the article to be dispensed is held within its compartment untilv it is desired to discharge the same. To discharge the article, the upper button 16 in Figure 4 is depressed against the action of a resilient member 35 herein illustrated as a coil spring, whereupon the resilient member is forced to the right in Figure 4 until its hooked end 80 passes by the edge of the upper partition 18 in said figure. As the resilient member assumes this position the arm 22 thereof will spring upwardly and engage the outer edge of the partition 18 releasing the hold upon the disk-like member 31 whereupon the spring leg 27 will flick the article 31 to be dispensed to the position in the space between the rear wall of the casing of the dispensing mechanism as illustrated in Figure Il. The article 3l to be dispensed, then passes downwardly to the tray 11 where it may be reached through the hand opening 12. The engagement of the hooked end of the resilient member with the edge of the partition 18 will retain the button within its recess 17 thus indicating that the article to be dispensed which is controlled by said button has been discharged and that a pressing of the button will not effect the discharge of another article.

Figure 2 of the drawings illustrates the manner in which the articles 31 are carried by the other resilient member controlled by the lower button of each group. It will be noted by reference te this gure that the articles to be dispensed are retained between the upper partition and the curved portion 29 of the resilient member 22 of each resilient member. Depression of the lower button of any group will force the resilient member rearwardly and its hooked end E0 will pass downwardly around the edge of the partition below the article to be dispensed thus relieving the tension upon the article 31 and leaving it free to be flicked out from between its holder and the upper partition, by the leg 27 of the resilient member. If desired, notches 38 may be employed in the partitions 18 more securely to hold the resilient members in position when an article to be dispensed is carried thereby.

In Figures 9 and 10, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention. In the form illustrated in these figures the two resilient members are not of the same construction nor are they reversed as in the heretofore described form. By reference to Figure 9 it will be apparent that the hooked portion 30 of each resilient member engages the upper face of the partition 18 above which it is mounted instead of one engaging the upper face of the lower partition and the other the lower face of the upper partition.

In this form of the invention the resilient member upon which the lower button 16 is mounted is of the same construction as the resilient members in the heretofore described form of the invention. The resilient member by which the upper button 16 is mounted is, however, slightly diierent in that the extension 25 thereof which corresponds to the extension 25 in the form heretofore described is considerably shorter, thus allowing for the positioning of the upper button 16 directly above the lower button 16 without reversal of the members as in the heretofore described form.

This form of the invention operates in substantially the samel manner as the heretofore described form since upon pushing either of the buttons 16, the hooked portion of its resilient member will pass over the rear edge of the partition 18, thus allowing the portion 29 of the resilient member to move downwardly under the tension under which it is placed to release the article 31 to be vended, it being understood tlat the article 31 is held in position by engagement with the under face of the partition 18 directly above it and the portion 29 of the resilient member. When the hooked portion 30 of the resilient member passes around the rear edge of the partition 18 the resilient finger 27 of the resilient member will flick the article 31 from the compartment in the passage at the rear of the housing through which it passes to the tray l1.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a new and novel vending mechanism which is simple of construction and of relatively cheap manufacture and in which there are comparatively few parts to get out of order.

While the invention has been herein illustrated in its preferred forms, it is to be understood that the invention may be carried out in other forms than those herein shown and that it is therefore not to be limited to the specific illustrations herein set forth.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is;

1. A vending apparatus comprising a housing having a compartment, a resilient member movable through said compartment and adapted when within the compartment to retain an article to be vended between itself and one wall of the compartment with the resilient means undertension, and means for moving said resilient member through the compartment to relieve the tension thereof and permit of discharge of the article to be vended.

2. A vending apparatus comprising a housing having a removable portion, said removable portion being provided with a plurality of compartments, means in each compartment and cooperating With one of the side walls thereof for holding the article to be vended between itself and the side wall of the compartment with which it cooperates, means for effecting a release of the article to be vended and means for ejecting the article to be vendedupon release thereof, said last mentioned means comprising a resilient member retained under tension While the article to be vended is held between the article carrying means and the wall of the compartment with which it cooperates.

JEAN RINALDI. 

